Last year in March when the country was put under total lockdown in bid to contain the spread of the Covid19 pandemic, Fidèle Hazajyintwari couldn’t imagine how things would have been if it wasn’t for an organization he works with known as No.41.

 Founded in 2012, No.41 responds to poverty through economic empowerment; cultivating artisan partnerships and offering dignified job opportunities.

The father of two narrated that through the work they had done before, the organization helped secure markets abroad for their products and they used the money to sail through that period.

Hazajyintwari, who does weaving and macramé (the art of knotting string in patterns to make decorative articles) in particular, said he joined the organization a few years ago.

He narrated that before joining No 41, he was working as an individual, which wasn’t easy. For now, things have improved and he has as well been able to secure medical insurance for his children, which is vital according to him.

Fifty-one-year-old Apollinaire Kagiraneza, another beneficiary said working with his wife to generate an income has seen him see things from a different perspective.

COUPLE: Beatrice Murekatete and apollinaire Kagiraneza.

He cited that he joined No 41 four years ago together with the wife as artisans, the thing which has helped them set priorities straight.

"Working with my wife has helped us understand that we have each other’s back, which has seen us cope with difficult moments as a couple, both at work and home. We also support each other’s work problems when we are working,” he added. 

The organisation makes different artisanal products.

At the moment, Kagiraneza noted that at minimum, they make at least Rwf 40,000 per month, which is far better than having nothing at all.

"Apart from catering for our seven children through our earnings, it has enabled us to save and we have already started building our own house,” he noted.

According to Beatrice Murekatete, the wife of Kagiraneza, people should understand that working as a couple has an impact on both your personal relationship and economic status as well within the shortest time possible.

About NO.41

 According to the founder Tara Clapper, No 41 is an economic empowerment organization that caters for both women and men in Mahoko village-Rubavu District- through the work of their own hands (artisans).

The empowerment includes ability to participate in existing markets; access to decent, dignified work at living wages, control over their own time, lives, and bodies, an increased voice, agency, and meaningful participation in economic decision-making at all levels- from the household to international institutions.

How it started

In 2012, Tara was living as a volunteer at the Noel Orphanage in Gisenyi.

No.41 was founded for a group of young women, ages 18-25, who were either ageing out or were being reunified with family members (that they may or may not have known).

"As I got to know them and listen to their concerns, I wanted to give them some skills training (sewing) that we hoped would turn into a job, and ultimately would be a choice about what they want to do in the future,” said Tara, who is also an interior designer by trade.

As the business grew, mostly online and in the US, the organization used the profits from the sale of their bags and funded a school lunch program at a local secondary school.

Tara Clapper.

The women of No.41 fed 1,200 student’s lunch, every day, for five years before turning the thriving program over to the school board and the parents' committee.

Since then, most of the young women that launched the program have been sponsored through university and started their own families and business ventures.

Achievements

At the moment, the organization consists of a team of about 20 artisans both men and women who have evolved from strictly sewing, into a broader range of products including basket weaving, woodworking, bamboo, and sewing.

The beneficiaries attested that apart from just earning a living from what they are doing, they have also been equipped with other life skill lessons such as financing, saving as well as how to cope with difficult situations.

In December last year, the organization opened its first home goods shop in Rwanda.

Tara said her aim is to honour the beautiful, traditional styles of Rwandan culture and give it a fun, modern twist. All of their materials are sourced locally and none of their teams use a single piece of electric machinery.